UWS tenants protest secret HPD supportive housing deal at 126 W. 86th St.

What happened

The New York Post reported on 11/02/2026 that tenants at 126 W. 86th St. on the Upper West Side say their building has been opened to hard-to-place adults from the shelter system, including people the tenants describe as active drug users, mentally ill individuals and people with criminal records. The tenants association says residents were not told about the deal. One line of the Post story refers to West 83rd Street, but the article gives the address as 126 W. 86th St.

According to the Post, the building has 72 rent-stabilized units. It is owned by St. Timothy's and St. Matthews Housing Corporation, connected to a now-defunct church. The city took out a lien in 2018 over unpaid property taxes. In 2023 the deed was transferred so the building became a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC), and the city canceled more than $2.3 million in property tax debt. The Post reports that on the same day, the HDFC signed a supportive housing agreement with HPD and did not tell tenants. The building is now in the process of being sold to another HDFC nonprofit, Sisters of Charity.

The Post says the 40-year Article XI agreement, approved by the City Council in 2024, lets the owner set aside up to 30% of units, or up to 23 apartments, for these placements, with subsidy payments of up to $6,000 a month. HPD officials and Sisters of Charity CEO Matthew Janeczko told residents at a meeting that placements would be capped at eight units. The Post notes that standard Article XI agreements require 10% of units for formerly homeless households. Six tenants who spoke anonymously described drug use, trespassing and suspected prostitution. They also said one placement has been arrested three times since moving in during 2024, twice for stabbings. They said they have never seen support staff at the building. The tenants are also still affected by the 2023 killing of neighbor Maria Hernandez, 74, by a superintendent who the Post says was hired without a background check.

An HPD spokesperson said the agency is listening to residents' concerns and working with elected officials. The spokesperson said HPD recently oversaw the appointment of a new property management company and is exploring a transfer of the building to a new nonprofit owner with greater capacity.